Colin Edwards: Valentino wasn't pushing

Colin Edwards reckons it is way too early to draw any conclusions into Valentino Rossi’s performance in last week’s Sepang test in Malaysia.

Rossi was thrilled with his first ride on the Ducati GP11 since he underwent major surgery on his right shoulder, even though he once again finished outside of the top ten on the timesheets.

Rossi was 15th quickest on his factory Ducati debut in Valencia back in early November and he was 11th overall in Sepang last week.

But he was only just over a second from the best pace set by compatriot Marco Simoncelli in Malaysia and the 31-year-old was delighted with the progress his right shoulder is making.

And Texan Edwards reckons Rossi hasn’t shown anywhere near his best having had chance to tail his former factory Yamaha team-mate during the Sepang test.
The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider told MCN it was clear Rossi was riding well within himself and not pushing at his normal potential.

The 36-year-old, who was ninth at the test, said: “It didn’t look like he was struggling but I would just say he was being super smooth. He wasn’t doing anything too crazy but right now he’s obviously not strong enough to do anything special. He’s just getting laps in but he’s going to be there for sure and I’m not doubting for a minute that he’s going to be as competitive as ever.”